‘Has all of the attributes, he’s a mauler,’ Texans’ Will Anderson Jr. strongly endorses Alabama guard Tyler Booker

HOUSTON – Tyler Booker stonewalled pass rushers with an intimidating style, bulldozing run-stoppers with his overwhelming size, power and technique.

As a dominant road-grader of an offensive lineman, Tyler Booker is doing much more than simply blocking on the field and clearing pathway for his running backs and protecting quarterbacks.

The Alabama second-team All-American offensive guard is downright demoralizing and damaging to his opponents. His stated goal: make them quit at the line of scrimmage and not want to play anymore.

Frequently characterized as the Will Anderson Jr. of the Crimson Tide offense, Booker is regarded as a strong candidate to potentially reunite with his former college teammate. The Texans have a high opinion of Booker and he is under consideration for their first-round pick. Whether Booker will be available at 25th overall is regarded as iffy at best. The Texans would likely need to move up to draft Booker, who’s regarded as a plug-and-play type of blocker, per league sources.

What isn’t in question is how Anderson feels about Booker, whom he enthusiastically endorses.

“I was telling my coach today: ‘Please don’t let me be the youngest guy in the room for the third year in a row man,’” Anderson said. “Tyler Booker is a guy that I speak very highly of. Great character guy, but I think he has all of the attributes you need to play the offensive line position. He is a mauler, he loves to finish blocks, his leadership skills, his mentality.

“He wants to be the best and he is really hard on himself. I’m kind of the same way and that’s what builds you up and that’s what makes you who you are. He has all those things and I can’t say enough good things about him. Wherever he ends up, he is going to change that team, change that program and change the offensive line for sure.”

A former third overall pick and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Anderson, a Pro Bowl defensive end, has sound advice to his former Alabama teammates.

“Block out the noise,” Anderson said. “The media is going to say whatever they want to say and everyone is going to have an opinion about your game, but just remember who you are and what you put on tape. God has blessed you tremendously with the gift that you have and he has brought you this far.

“Nobody else has brought you this far, you’ve put in the work and he’s giving you the gift. Lean on yourself and lean on your abilities that you can go out there and play with the best of the best.”

Booker is an overpowering presence at an athletic 6-foot-5, 352 pounds.

And Booker, who visited the Dallas Cowboys, plays the game with a nasty streak that’s impossible to teach.

“It’s legal assault out there, and I love football because the brand of football that I play, I make guys not love football anymore,” Booker said at the NFL scouting combine. “I do that every down by just giving it my all and letting them know I’m not gonna let up. The thing I love most about football is taking the love away from other people.”

And Booker could galvanize the Texans’ offensive line, the weakest point of the team. He met formally with the Texans at the combine.

Booker plays the game with a definite nasty streak, steamrolling over the competition.

Before the combine, NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, a former Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns scout, compared Booker’s hard-nosed, relentless mentality to Anderson Jr.

As it turns out, the comparison makes a lot of sense watching Booker play, listening to him talk about the game with such passion and in how he emulates Anderson’s leadership style.

“It would mean a lot to be on a team with Will Anderson,” Booker said. “I’ve learned a lot of my leadership skills from Will. Being around a guy like that who loves the game of football. That’s something hard to pass up on. In the game of football, not everybody loves it.

“I’m a guy who eats, sleeps, and breathes football, and not everybody does. Some people play for the money, some people play just because they’re good at it, but I love the game of football, and Will is another person who truly loves the game of football just as much as I do.”

A native of New Haven, Connecticut, Booker was a freshman All-Southeastern Conference selection who became a full-time starter as a sophomore. He played for Nick Saban and Kalen DeBoer and was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference for his blocking prowess.

“I take pride in how well I prepare for the games and prepare for stunts,” Booker said. “I’m looking forward to stepping up as a pass protection as well. They’re really interested in my leadership and how I would fit into their program. My response was I have to earn the right to lead. I love how physical it is, I put my weight, my body and my power on you. It wears out playing against Tyler Booker all day.”

The Texans are definitely in the market for offensive linemen after allowing quarterback C.J. Stroud to be sacked 52 times last season as the offense regressed significantly.

A two-year starter for the Crimson Tide, Booker started every game last season. He is the top-ranked guard. He’s been projected to the Seattle Seahawks’ first-round pick at 18th overall.

Anderson has been advising Booker and linebacker Jihaad Campbell.

“Those are two of the guys that I was really close to when I was at Alabama,” Anderson said. “Both of those guys have been doing really well just talking to them and talking about their meetings with coaches and other teams and stuff like that. I’m excited and I can’t wait to watch them get drafted.”

In high school at St. Luke’s before transferring to IMG Academy in Florida, Booker was a four-star recruit who chose Alabama over Florida, Georgia, Oregon and Ohio State.

Booker learned a lot from Nick Saban about what it takes to play the game.

It was great,” Booker said. “I love playing for Coach Saban because he pushed everybody the same way every day. The same way he would get on me is the same way he would get on Bryce Young is the same way he would get on Will Anderson, so he didn’t care about who you were. He was always going to get the best out of you no matter what it took.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com